Durkin's 2015 Bears Position Preview: Special Teams
By Dan Durkin—
Editor's note: This is the 11th piece in a series previewing the 2015 Bears as the first training camp practice approaches July 30. You can find them in one spot here as they're posted.
(CBS) In 2014, the Bears special teams units were in fact league leaders -- in penalties, with 28. It was a rather dubious-yet-unsurprising distinction considering the approach former general manager Phil Emery took.
Given Emery's offseason roster retooling, the team was guaranteed five new starters at core special teams positions. But the preseason only settled a few positions -- punter, holder and long snapper (who was brought in the week of the regular season opener). Emery used the bottom of the 53-man roster as a carousel for young players under the guise of personnel development and recouping late draft picks the team didn't have in recent years.
The end result was a group of undrafted rookies becoming "core four" (punt/kickoff coverage and return units) players on a unit that ended the season ranked 26th in the league.
Blocking assignments were missed, which led to holding calls and blocked punts. Uncertainty about rules led to personal fouls and illegal touching calls. Putting their return game hopes on Chris Williams -- who was cut coming out of camp -- led to three different kickoff returners by Week 5 and a group that didn't bring a kick past the 20-yard line until Week 7.
This season, the Bears special teams are a bit more settled, but question marks remain at long snapper and the returner jobs.
Likely starters:
Kicker: Robbie Gould (33, 11th year)
Punter/holder: Pat O'Donnell (24, second year)
Long snapper: Thomas Gafford (32, eighth year)
Kick/punt returner: Marc Mariani (28, sixth year)
Other competitors: LS Rick Lovato (22, rookie), PR Eddie Royal (29, eighth year) and KR Jacquizz Rodgers (25 fifth year).
Kicker Robbie Gould had a forgettable 2014 season. Over his career, Gould has established himself as one of the most reliable kickers in NFL history. Last season was his worst as a professional, finishing with career-lows in attempts (12, his previous low was 25) and field-goal percentage (75). A quad injury cost him four games at the end of the season.
The team brought in Jeremiah Detmer for competition, but he was released after the team's June mini-camp. That's a sign the team likes where Gould is at physically heading into the season. Gould is the league's fifth-highest paid kicker ($3.6 million) and must return to his old form to help a team that's going to need to score as many points as possible to in order to protect a leaky defense.
The Bears spent a 2014 sixth-round pick on punter Pat O'Donnell and pit him against Tress Way in training camp. The competition was close, but when you spend a draft pick on a punter, he has to make the team, which O'Donnell did. Way latched on with the Redskins and finished first in the league with a 47.5-yard average, while O'Donnell finished 28th with a 43.8-yard average.
O'Donnell had some strong games, and his directional punting improved throughout the season. His leg strength is obvious and held up once the weather went south late in the season, which is a good sign for his future.
At long snapper, the Bears will have a new face for the second straight year since Patrick Mannelly retired. Thomas Gafford has 105 games of NFL experience and clearly has the inside track on rookie Rick Lovato (Old Dominion).
The Bears brought in Marc Mariani before their Week 11 game against Tampa Bay. He stabilized the position and held it for the rest of the season. But will the new staff dedicate a roster spot to just a returner? Free agent signees Jacquizz Rodgers and Eddie Royal both have experience as kick and punt returners, respectively. Other challengers will get their chance throughout the preseason.
When teams switch to a 3-4 like the Bears have, they carry more linebackers on their roster. Linebackers typically make up core special teams players, so there's a chance the Bears' coverage units could improve this season. Special teams ace Sherrick McManis is also back for another season.
New special teams coordinator Jeff Rodgers has spent the last five seasons in the same capacity on John Fox's staffs in both Carolina and Denver. During his time with the Broncos, the team returned six kicks for touchdowns and twice ranked in the top 11 of Rick Gosselin's comprehensive special teams rankings (10th in 2011 and 11th in 2012).
Dan Durkin covers the Bears for CBSChicago.com and is a frequent contributor to 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter @djdurkin.